Craw Stencil

16 posts in this topic

I did a search and didn't really find what I was looking for. Could you guys post pictures of the actual stencil you use to do craw patterns? After looking at a few, I still have no idea of what a stencil should look like for painting them. I'm assuming you have to have a different stencil for different size cranks. Thanks guys for helping a rookie.

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I use a simple stencil I used a piece of stencil material and copied a rapala DT series craw outline then cut it out 1/16 wide this gives you a basic craw outline what you do after you outline the craw marks is what makes the bait

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Yeah I'm with you bud I have tried to search craw patterns myself with not much luck. It seems most custom painters are pretty tight lipped when it comes to sharing that kinda info. I agree with the last post stop at your local wally world and get some stencil material,It's pretty cheap. and just try a bunch of different patterns. If you come up with one that looks good please share. I am still working on this myself. I don't have any that look good enough to share. If I come up with one. I will share with you. when you get your stencil material make sure you don't get the real stiff kind. It's kinda tough to work with. If anyone would like to share any info but don't want to do it public. please Email me @ cslone326@yahoo.com . I will not post the info. Thanks.

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The only way I think you can do it is being very good with cutting a pattern in a molded stencil or cut pieces of stencil to the shape you want for the craw and have good control of you airbrush. Like put a stencil where you want a craw pattern to show up and shoot mostly on the stencil but let a little bit go onto to bait to give you a nice line on one side and a faded one on the other and repeat all the way down the bait. I have not tried this and have not made a craw before but this is how I would do it. Hopefully I didn't give those tight lip people secret away. HAHAH

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I think using airbrush frisket material (a thin plastic film with a peel-off paper backing) makes stencils easier. Draw your design on the paper backing, cut it out with an Xacto knife. Frisket material is designed for one time, single side use but you don't have to do it that way. Instead of peeling off the backing and sticking it on the lure (which often lifts paint off the surface when you remove it), just hold the stencil with backing intact against the lure, shoot one side, dry the stencil, flip it over, and use it for the reverse side of the lure. Then save the stencil for use on other lures. After doing this for awhile, you develop a "library" of stencils that you can mix/match to different lure sizes.

As far as stencil making, it's not hard to copy a design from a lure you like. Trace an outline of the lure's body on stencil material and free-hand the design into the outline. Cut out the design, trim the stencil to the outline of the lure and you're ready for paint.

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There's nothing Top Secret in TU , just give the people with the best knowledge time to chime in. Bob P. pretty much has given great info. There's going to be a lot of trial & error with learning & mastering airbrushing baits.

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I will tell you this them craws are a lot better then what I came up with. Im pretty good with making my own stencil. Just have not got the craw down yet. I am also still learning . Now are you painting your base colors first then laying the outline or outline and fill ? . sorry i may have used a bad choice of words when I said tight lipped. it just seems you cant find this on the web I have searched for hours. Thanks all that info will help. If I may ask one more thing. Have you ever had trouble with mixing Red paints . For some reason my red will not do what I want. trying to make a nice craw red. Like a red brown. Have a color wheel it don't help. Thanks this site is awesome .

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I'm laying down my base color first , what ever color I want my shell color , I'll lay my stencil down and shoot that color , once the shell color is down , I'll use the stencil again and start shading the edges with another color.

If your trying to get a certain color mix , if you have a bait with the color you need post it , most guys here can look at the color and tell you what to mix.

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I will tell you this them craws are a lot better then what I came up with. Im pretty good with making my own stencil. Just have not got the craw down yet. I am also still learning . Now are you painting your base colors first then laying the outline or outline and fill ? . sorry i may have used a bad choice of words when I said tight lipped. it just seems you cant find this on the web I have searched for hours. Thanks all that info will help. If I may ask one more thing. Have you ever had trouble with mixing Red paints . For some reason my red will not do what I want. trying to make a nice craw red. Like a red brown. Have a color wheel it don't help. Thanks this site is awesome .

If your trying to mix a redish brown, you can use the complimentary color on your color wheel. The complimentary color is straight across the wheel. In this case, the compliment of red is green. You can also use this on any color that you want to dull down, it neutalizes it giving you a brownish color. Just go straight across the color wheel. This does not work in every case, but most of the time it will. I am a wildlife artist and use this method to get more realistic colors found in nature. Not that crankbaits have to be realist colors, but if that is what your after then this works. Also try a green dulled down with just a touch of red. Hope this helps in some way. Good Luck!!!

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The only way I think you can do it is being very good with cutting a pattern in a molded stencil or cut pieces of stencil to the shape you want for the craw and have good control of you airbrush. Like put a stencil where you want a craw pattern to show up and shoot mostly on the stencil but let a little bit go onto to bait to give you a nice line on one side and a faded one on the other and repeat all the way down the bait. I have not tried this and have not made a craw before but this is how I would do it. Hopefully I didn't give those tight lip people secret away. HAHAH

thats the way I did my crawfish pattern

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You can always find a craw pattern you like online and print it out on standard printer paper. You would have to have some type of photo editing program to size the pattern to meet your needs. After printing it out just stick it to some type of clear plastic and cut out the pattern.

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